Newspapers from around the world have endorsed a proposal by publishers in Britain for an alternative Royal Charter on press regulation.

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers has issued a statement of support to coincide with World Press Freedom day today.

The association, which represents 18,000 newspapers, 15,000 online sites and more than 3,000 companies in 120 countries, said it stood “firmly behind the joint initiative of the United Kingdom’s newspaper and magazine industry to safeguard press freedom”.

The statement added: “The Leveson inquiry asked many important questions of the British press, to which the industry, not the